Dwyane Wade on 'being a good father'

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Wade reflects on Heat's historic season

"I need to learn about it first, but I do want to go to a game," he explained. "I want to feel the crowd and the energy -- it's the reason that soccer is the number one sport in the world."

It is football's global appeal that has prompted the NBA to make a strategic marketing push in targeting key markets like China, Africa and the Middle East.

That campaign has been boosted by the success of players like China's Yao Ming, whose nine-year stint with the Houston Rockets raised the profile of the league in Asia.

Meanwhile Spanish brother Pau and Marc Gasol, who play for Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies respectively, helped their country to a silver medal at the recent London Olympic Games -- when the U.S. beat Spain in the final to take gold.

"It's made (the NBA) very global," said Wade. "The international players are very talented, and it's been getting better and better. The game is so big, around the world now, as big as it's ever been.

NBA finals: Game V 20 photos

NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Miami Heat fans celebrate the team's win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals on Thursday, June 21 in Miami.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Fans celebrate the Miami Heat's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Fans watch game five of the 2012 NBA finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat at Havana Nines in Miami.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – A couple kisses as Miami Heat fans celebrate the Heat's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 NBA Finals in Miami.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Chris Bosh No. 1 of the Miami Heat celebrates after the Heat won 121-106 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on Thursday, June 21.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James No. 6 and Dwyane Wade No. 3 of the Heat celebrate late in the fourth quarter against the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James No. 6 of the Heat celebrates late in the fourth quarter against the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Kevin Durant No. 35 of the Thunder looks on dejected late in the fourth quarter against the Heat.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James, left, and the fallen Dwyane Wade, center, of the Heat go for the ball before the tumbled James Harden, center top, and Serge Ibaka, right, of the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Shane Battier, right, of the Heat and Russell Westbrook, left, of the Thunder vie for the ball.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Russell Westbrook No. 0 of the Thunder covers his face as he kneels on the court in the second half against the Heat.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Mike Miller, left, of the Heat is guarded by Russell Westbrook, right, of the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Kevin Durant No. 35 and Russell Westbrook No. 0 of the Thunder look on against the Heat.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James, left, of the Heat goes to the basket against Serge Ibaka, center, and Kendrick Perkins, right, of the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James of the Heat scores against the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Chris Bosh, No. 1 of the Heat, fights for control of the opening tip-off against Serge Ibaka, No. 9 of the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Dwyane Wade, No. 3 of the Heat, reacts in the first quarter against the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – LeBron James, No. 6 of the Heat, attempts a shot in the first half against James Harden, No. 13 of the Thunder.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Serge Ibaka, No. 9 of the Thunder, reacts in the first half against the Heat.

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NBA finals: Game V20 photos

NBA finals: Game V – Kevin Durant, No. 35 of the Thunder, hangs on the rim after a dunk in the first half against the Heat. View photos from Game four of the NBA Finals.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs 6 photos

Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

Manchester's money machine – Manchester United is the most valuable brand in football according to a report by independent consultancy Brand Finance. The global appeal and on-field success of the 19-time English champions has helped establish a brand worth an estimated $853 million.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

Silver lining – Bayern Munich's players and fans were distraught after losing Saturday's European Champions League to Chelsea, but the German team's brand was second on the list, valued at $786 million.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

Cuts for 'El Clasico' – Real Madrid recently pipped Barcelona to the Spanish title, but both clubs have suffered setbacks financially. Both brands decreased, by 7% and 8% respectively, as a result of the eurozone crisis and its impact on the Spanish economy.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

Champions cash in – Chelsea's brand value was significantly boosted by the European triumph. The west London club, backed by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, is ranked fifth on the list valued at $398 million.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

City slickers – Manchester City's dramatic Premier League title win has increased the value of the Abu Dhabi-owned English club's brand, putting it eighth on the list, worth an estimated $302 million.

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Brand power: Football's most valuable clubs6 photos

A major league? – The 2011 Major League Soccer champions Los Angeles Galaxy had the honor of meeting President Barack Obama earlier this month. Galaxy, 50th on the list, still struggle to attract commercial rights deals which compare to the club's European counterparts.

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"We take some pride in that. But we got a lot of work to do over here, because they keep getting better and better around the world because of this game. We're just happy to be the guys that are able to take this game globally."

Of all the overseas arrivals that have made their mark in the NBA, Wade singled out for special mention Germany's Dirk Nowitzki, who was named NBA finals MVP as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Heat to the 2011 championship.

"You look and say Dirk is probably the one that has the most of the respect from the standpoint of what he's done for so many years in the NBA.

"Obviously they beat us in the finals and winning the championship really put him up there in his place where he should be in our time. But there are other players that have been there before I played that could be named as well."

"It's very big," said Wade on basketball's continued expansion. "We got a way to go to catch up with soccer, but I think our game is doing very, very well. We can be very proud of that but we have still got a lot of work to do."